Ian McAndrew, 24, sings "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz while riding in June Cuaresma's "Caraoke Lyft" car June 13, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif. After discovering the karaoke option, McAndrew became excited and exclaimed, "I am half Filipino, karaoke is my national sport!" Cuaresma decided to create a karaoke experience for his riders simply to enhance the ride. He bought all of the electronics himself. He says it's usually about 50/50 as to whether people want to sing, or not. He records them with a GoPro and puts some of the videos up on YouTube.

Ian McAndrew, 24, takes a photo of the microphone before singing "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz while riding in June Cuaresma's "Caraoke Lyft" car June 13, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif. After discovering the karaoke option, McAndrew became excited and exclaimed, "I am half Filipino, karaoke is my national sport!" Cuaresma decided to create a karaoke experience for his riders simply to enhance the ride. He bought all of the electronics himself. He says it's usually about 50/50 as to whether people want to sing, or not. He records them with a GoPro and puts some of the videos up on YouTube.

June Cuaresma sets up the microphone in his "Caraoke Lyft" car before setting out to pick up passengers for the evening June 13, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif. Cuaresma decided to create a karaoke experience for his riders simply to enhance the ride. He bought all of the electronics himself. He says it's usually about 50/50 as to whether people want to sing, or not. He records them with a GoPro and puts some of the videos up on YouTube.

June Cuaresma plugs in lights for his “Caraoke Lyft“ car before setting out to pick up passengers in June.

Photo: Leah Millis / The Chronicle

June Cuaresma plugs in lights for his “Caraoke Lyft“ car before...

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Ian McAndrew, 24, picks a song to sing while riding in June Cuaresma's "Caraoke Lyft" car June 13, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif. After discovering the karaoke option, McAndrew became excited and exclaimed, "I am half Filipino, karaoke is my national sport!" Cuaresma decided to create a karaoke experience for his riders simply to enhance the ride. He bought all of the electronics himself. He says it's usually about 50/50 as to whether people want to sing, or not. He records them with a GoPro and puts some of the videos up on YouTube.

Purple, blue and white LEDs flashed on the Jeep Grand Cherokee's floor as Ian McAndrew hopped into its shotgun seat in San Francisco Friday night.

"Welcome to Caraoke Lyft," said driver June Cuaresma, motioning to an array of music equipment on the dash. "This is your microphone, the songs are here on the iPad; if you feel like singing, you're more than welcome to - but no one's forced to sing."

McAndrew reacted as if he'd won the lottery.

"Karaoke; stop it! I'm half-Filipino; karaoke is my national sport," he said. "I'm dying! I wish I had a friend with me."

He grabbed the mike and crooned a heartfelt "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. Cuaresma praised the performances as "really sick."

Cuaresma, 37, grew up playing drums and singing in the San Jose Pentacostal church where his dad was a minister. After stints as an IT guy and a medical device salesman, he now drives for the smartphone ride service under the nom de tune Caraoke Lyft.

He linked his love of karaoke with his gig as a hired driver in January, when a company called Smule offered its iPad karaoke app to Lyft drivers.

"The very first passenger sang like a rock star," Cuaresma said. "I was blown away. I realized: This is it; this is what I can add to the Lyft community. It makes the car so much more fun for the passengers."

Lyft, which cultivates a quirky image starting with the fuzzy pink mustaches that adorn its cars, encourages drivers to personalize their rides.

In San Francisco, other "Lyft creatives" include Hip-Hop Lyft, driven by Deco Carter, who poses hip-hop trivia questions to passengers and rewards correct answers with prizes. Passengers and passersby can doodle on Grant Gordon's ChalkCar Lyft, which is covered with chalkboard paint.

"Lyft is definitely a good place to showcase your talents," said Matt Earnest, whose DiscoLyft was one of the earliest themed rides, complete with a fog machine. "Drivers who have something cool or artistic or creative to feature leave a lasting impression." Earnest now works full time in Lyft headquarters on driver events, including encouraging other drivers to harness their creative endeavors.

"It's like a prize inside the Cracker Jack box," said Lyft co-founder and President John Zimmer. "Most of the time you get from Point A to B with a very friendly driver. Sometimes you get this surprise, a really fantastic, magical experience."

For Cuaresma's riders, the magic includes a chrome-plated Shure Super 55 "Elvis mike" (the King's favorite), the dashboard-mounted iPad with Smule's Sing Karaoke app, the Apogee One Preamp and a GoPro camera to capture their star turns.

Cuaresma always asks riders if they'd like to be featured on his YouTube channel (www.youtube/user/caraokelyft). "I don't want to embarrass people or make fun of drunken singers," he said. "It's all about making people feel good."

With banter as smooth as his tenor, Caraoke Lyft found something in common with every passenger.

"You went to Valley Christian High in San Jose? So did my wife!"

"You're Filipino! So am I!"

"John Zimmer sang this same song with me; he could really belt it out!"

Like a supportive voice coach, he complimented passengers' vocal chops. Each farewell fist bump - another Lyft custom - was accompanied with, "You are a rock star; stay that way!"

About half of Cuaresma's passengers choose to sing, although late on Friday and Saturday nights, the percentage rises among folks heading home from nights on the town. Some need a little encouragement.

"I can only sing one song in karaoke; I had a gnarly lisp as a kid," said Gabe McClelland. After a smidgen of coaxing, he belted out a deep bass "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" that would have killed on "American Idol."

He improvised on the lyrics: "This song is surprisingly fitting: You are my chariot, coming to carry me home."

"You have one drink after work with the boss, pick up a Lyft, and there you go," McClelland said, faintly bemused at his own prowess.

Cuaresma is now a "founding driver" for Lyft's still hush-hush premium service, Lyft Plus, but keeps Caraoke Lyft going at least once a week.

After serendipity led Zimmer to his sing-along car a couple of weeks ago, he's now exploring helping the company spread karaoke to other drivers.

"People love letting their hair down," Cuaresma said. "They're all smiles when they hop out of the car. I drive them for 10 or 20 minutes; I may never see them again. But they have a great time and something to remember."